I'm slowly putting things from my old car into my brand new Prius and was wondering about the jumper cables. Should I carry them, like I have with all my past cars or not? Or should I purchase something else? This is my first hybrid and I don't want to schlep anything unnecessary in it.
I say carry the jumper cable if you have it. It's possible, not easy but possible, to have the 12 volt go flat -- and you may even need to use it for someone else some time. Just be sure to check the manual re correct polarization
If you've always carried jumper cables in other cars you might as well with the Prius. I, personally, found that one of the little rechargable combination battery jump box/tire pump units is more versatile b/c I need to top off tire pressure much more frequently than I need to jump the 12v...that said, those things are heavy, bulky, and have to be recharged every so often.
This will sound really selfish, but you shouldn't offer to jump start a conventional car using your Prius as the donor because the Prius isn't designed to cope with the crank amps needed by a typical starter motor.
In another thread it was mentioned that the manual says it's okay to jump the Prius if necessary, following the precautions, but that the manual advises against using the Prius to jump others. I need to take a look at the hardcopy, because I don't see it in a search of the manual online on the Toyota Owner's webpage.
It sounds like I could only use them in the case that my 12 volt needs a jump, but I couldn't be neighborly and jump someone else. It might be wiser just to call AAA and have them take care of it, in event of a problem. I'll probably put them in the car, just in case....but never use them with my car, just loan them out if someone else has a problem. Thanks for your input. That's what I find so great about this site....everyone is so helpful!
I carry jumper cables for my on use. If my car battery dies and someone is willing to jump start my car but they don't have cables, then I am prepared. What is your confidence level that any two truck driver, AAA or not, will know how to Jump start a Prius? I'm new to Hybrids, but my confidence level is pretty low. --TK
